18: Snow Woman's Blessing

Yukino Mifuyu unconsciously stroked the rim of her cup, a faint smile on her face: "This apartment was also arranged by the Management Department. They even gave me living expenses, enough for me to stay here for several months."

Lin Luo nodded, looking around the apartment in the city center, and gently reminded her, "Rent in this area isn't cheap."

"It's alright," Yukino Mifuyu straightened her back, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, "I'll find a job!"

"Do you have any direction?" Lin Luo asked, following her words.

"This..." She suddenly faltered, her fingers nervously intertwining, "I, I'm not very good at using those things called computers, and I don't really understand what modern jobs entail..."

Seeing her suddenly deflate, a hint of a smile flickered in Lin Luo's eyes. He deliberately drew out his words: "Since you're a Snow Woman—then of course you should open a Shaved Ice Shop."

The light in Yukino Mifuyu's eyes dimmed a little, and her fingers nervously clasped together: "Opening a shop... but I have no experience, and I don't know how to make shaved ice at all. If the taste isn't good, I definitely won't be able to keep it going."

Lin Luo put down his chopsticks and gently tapped the table with his fingertips. Outside, the night was deep, and the city lights spread out like stars. He looked at Yukino Mifuyu's still somewhat bewildered face opposite him and suddenly chuckled, "Who said you have to make ordinary shaved ice? You're a Snow Woman—you naturally possess the power of ice and frost, you don't even need to buy a refrigerator."

Yukino Mifuyu was lowering her head, poking at the last piece of Tamagoyaki in her bowl, when she suddenly looked up, her chopsticks nearly falling into the soup bowl: "B-but... my power can't be used freely in the current world? And isn't shaved ice just shaved ice with syrup?"

"It depends on how you use your power." Lin Luo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the dining table. The light cast a warm yellow halo in his eyes. "Think about it, you can precisely control the shape of ice crystals—snowflakes as thin as cicada wings, ice threads as clear as crystal, and even glowing ice flowers. Paired with natural fruit jams, handmade syrups, maybe even adding a bit of 'Snow Woman's Special' Coolness, one bite will chill you from your tongue to your heart. Who could resist that in summer?"

Yukino Mifuyu's eyes lit up little by little, like scattered snowflakes re-forming into stars in the night wind: "Really... can I?"

Yukino Mifuyu's eyes lit up little by little, like a snowfield illuminated by the morning sun: "Really... can I?"

"Of course!" Lin Luo said with a smile, pushing a teacup towards her, "I've even thought of the slogan—'This summer, let snowflakes dance on your tongue.' Girls from the entire street will come to check in with their phones."

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret: "And think, when it's the off-season in winter, you can go back to Hokkaido to see the snow, or just stay warm at home. Doesn't this work rhythm suit you perfectly?"

"I'm very optimistic about this business," Lin Luo's eyes shone with certainty, "Young Miss Yukino, would you consider partnering with me? I'll handle all the miscellaneous tasks like shop location and equipment procurement."

Yukino Mifuyu was greatly moved by his words, her fingertips unconsciously drawing small snowflakes on the tabletop. When she looked up, her icy blue eyes shimmered with moisture: "Thank you, Luo-kun..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly gently grasped Lin Luo's right hand, lowered her head, and pressed her cherry lips to the back of his hand. The kiss was as light as a falling snowflake, yet it carried a refreshing Coolness, as if tiny ice crystals bloomed at the moment of contact.

"Th-this is a Snow Woman's Blessing..." She lowered her head to hide her flushed cheeks, gently tapping the back of his hand with her fingertip, leaving a fleeting snowflake pattern, "A person granted this Blessing won't fear the cold in winter and will feel cool in summer... T-that's all it is."

Her voice grew softer and softer, finally almost becoming a mumble. She pretended to intently observe the gradually fading snowflake imprint, simply not daring to look into his eyes.

Lin Luo gazed at Yukino Mifuyu's slightly lowered profile under the light, lost in thought for a moment. Her fair skin showed a faint blush, like cherry blossoms falling on early spring snow, and even her trembling eyelashes carried a hint of shyness.

He unconsciously leaned forward, clearly smelling her sweet, cool scent. Yukino Mifuyu sensed his proximity, her body trembled slightly, but she didn't shy away, her icy blue eyes shimmering with moisture.

Just as the distance between them grew smaller, she suddenly extended a cool fingertip and gently pressed it against his lips.

"The Blessing..." her voice was soft, "has already been given."

After saying this, Yukino Mifuyu seemed to suddenly awaken, standing up in a panic: "I, I'll go tidy the kitchen!" As she turned, her hair traced an arc of ice crystals in the air.

Lin Luo couldn't help but chuckle watching her scurry into the kitchen, her movements awkward. He leaned back in his chair, relaxed, admiring her busy figure—splashing water condensed into tiny rainbows on her fingertips as she washed dishes, and she accidentally left a string of frost flowers when wiping the stove.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" he deliberately teased her.

"No!" came a resolute reply from the kitchen, accompanied by the gentle clinking of dishes. After a moment, a small voice added, "You're a guest..."

Lin Luo stretched his long legs, watching her pretend to meticulously organize the cabinets, yet constantly stealing glances at the living room. Each time their eyes met, she would hastily turn her head away, her ear tips as red as ripe fruit.

The crisp, cool scent in the air intertwined with the smell of lemon dish soap. He gazed at the bright moonlight outside the window, his lips unconsciously curving upward—tonight was indeed pleasant.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent apartment.

Kirisu Mafuyu glanced at the wall clock for the umpteenth time. The hands clearly showed that Lin Luo had been in Yukino Mifuyu's home for over two hours. Does dinner really take that long? She frowned, her red pen unconsciously drawing a long red line across a student's homework.

(A man and a woman, alone in a room, what else could they be doing this late...)

Images uncontrollably surfaced in her mind: Lin Luo chatting happily with that blue-haired neighbor, and even... more intimate scenes. These imaginations made her inexplicably irritable, her cheeks also feeling hot. She quickly shook her head, trying to dispel these "improper" thoughts.

Just then, the ruby in the ring on her finger flashed a subtle, dark gleam. A chilling fluctuation quietly amplified the possessiveness and anxiety in her heart that she herself hadn't even fully understood.

"Bang!"

She instinctively slammed the red pen on the table, making a soft sound. The noise was particularly abrupt in the silent room, startling even herself.

(What am I... doing?)

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but her gaze once again fell on the wall adjacent to the next apartment. A sense of displeasure that "her belongings were being coveted," mixed with a teacher's concern for a student "going astray," intertwined and fermented within her. The ring continued to exert a subtle influence, making these emotions even sharper.

She murmured to herself, her voice carrying a hint of sourness and strictness that she herself hadn't detected:

"Lin Luo... Teacher doesn't recall cultivating you down the path of a 'Playboy.'"

After these words escaped her lips, even she herself felt a slight surprise, but the urge to interfere, to draw Lin Luo's attention back, grew even stronger under the ring's allure. She stared at the ring, her brows tightly furrowed, vaguely sensing that her emotions were abnormal, yet she found it hard to extricate herself.

Time slipped away quietly, and in a blink, it was Wednesday.

For the past two days, Lin Luo's life had been almost template-like: lunch break enjoying a bento meticulously prepared by Kato Megumi, and after school, he was habitually kept for dinner by Yukino Mifuyu under the pretexts of "taste-testing" or "discussing shop matters." Until today, the day of the World History class test.

The moment Kirisu Mafuyu entered the classroom holding the test papers, Lin Luo's previously relaxed nerves instantly tensed.

(Something's not right!)

He keenly noticed that Kirisu Mafuyu was surrounded by an extremely faint, bizarre fluctuation that was completely at odds with her usual demeanor. This fluctuation carried a coercive, mind-twisting, icy quality, and its source seemed to be a ring on her finger that he had never seen before, inlaid with a dark red gem.

Kirisu Mafuyu's expression was as usual, even more cold and authoritative than normal. She distributed the test papers, her gaze sweeping across the room, and clearly announced the rules for the exam. However, the moment her voice fell, a sudden change occurred!

An invisible, intangible force, yet carrying intense mental pressure, spread out from the ring on her finger like ripples, instantly sweeping through the entire classroom! Lin Luo felt a cold power attempting to invade his Sea of Consciousness, carrying a coercive intent of "must follow rules, no cheating, answer questions seriously."

The spiritual Qi in his body circulated on its own, easily isolating this external force. But he immediately looked at the surrounding students—he saw that all the students, including Kato Megumi, had a momentary daze in their eyes, which then became abnormally focused and blank, like machines programmed to respond. They all lowered their heads in unison and began to write furiously. The entire classroom instantly fell into an almost eerie silence where a pin drop could be heard, with only the rustling sound of pen tips on paper.

This was not a normal exam atmosphere at all, but some kind of collective mental coercion!

Lin Luo inwardly cursed, his brows tightly furrowed, his gaze fixed on Kirisu Mafuyu, who appeared "calm" and merely seemed to be maintaining order in the exam room.

(It's only been a few days since we last properly met, how did she get involved with such an evil thing again? And this time, it can directly influence and control the minds of so many people!)

Lin Luo hastily told Kato Megumi, "I have something to do, I'm going out for a bit," then quickly got up and left his seat. Kato Megumi looked at his back, which was clearly different from usual, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but he walked too fast, giving her no chance to ask questions.

Lin Luo hurried down the hallway outside the teachers' office. He didn't burst in directly but used the small window on the door and his keen perception to easily locate Kirisu Mafuyu—she was sitting at her desk, organizing the recently collected test papers.

(There are too many other teachers in the office, so it's not convenient to directly question her, nor can I check that ring by force...)

Lin Luo leaned against the hallway wall, his brows furrowed, thinking about how to approach and solve this problem without alarming anyone.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He took it out and saw that the sender was clearly [Kirisu Mafuyu].

The message content was surprisingly brief: "To the Rooftop. Now."

Lin Luo's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously looked up, peering into the teachers' office through the window at the end of the corridor.

Precisely at this moment, Kirisu Mafuyu in the office, as if by telepathy, turned her head to look out the window. Their gazes, separated by the glass pane, collided abruptly in the air.

At that moment, Lin Luo clearly saw a very faint, ominous red light flash in the depths of her originally clear and calm sapphire eyes, carrying a sense of provocation and coldness.